SUNDAY NIGHT INTERVIEW:Jess is a Wanderer

For tonight’s Sunday Night Interview, we’re excited to share with you an wonderfully insightful piece from a travel blogger we’ve long admired, Jess is a Wander (@jessisawanderer). Hailing from The Cotswolds, England, Jess embarked on a journey to Egypt to help build schools at the age of 17 – and never looked back. Currently she teaches in Cairo and roams the world with an infectious passion for travel.

Her current home country, Egypt, has a rich and vibrant history like none other, but recent turmoil has left many travelers uneasy about visiting. While the media attempts depict the events there in a fair manner, many argue that major news outlets often over-sensationalize coverage, causing excess fear in would-be tourists and travelers. Few people have the experience and insight that Jess has on this topic, so we asked her to opine. We hope you enjoy this beautifully discerning piece.

By: Jess is a Wander | @Jessisawanderer

I’ve lived in Egypt for almost five years. When I flew out to interview for the position of classroom teacher at a British School, the country was on the edge of meltdown. People were unhappy, they had been under dictatorship for three decades and talk of change was in the air. Less than six weeks later, the Revolution had begun.

It was January 25^th 2011 when news broke that Cairo had gone into meltdown, with thousands of people flocking to Tahrir Square to protest about their feelings of despair and their need for change. My official job start date was August 25^th, 2011. For months, I had watched the news attentively as petrol bombs, homemade Molotov cocktails and tear gas was fired off between army, police and protestors in Downtown Cairo.

I was determined to honour the contract that I had signed so I flew to Egypt, despite the reservations of many. It was my second day in Cairo when myself and a few other ‘newbies’ took a taxi to the feared Downtown Cairo to see what all the fuss was about. Tahrir Square was empty. There were a couple of tanks dotted around but the mass of people has dispersed. Locals were wandering around with shopping bags, businessmen were dipping in and out of restaurants picking up lunch. Children held their parents hands as they walked along the street. I was in shock at the scene that played out before me. Where was the carnage and destruction I had been watching on TV?

Since then, I have faced an almost weekly battle of hearing or seeing things within the world’s media about Egypt, yet struggling to find evidence of it for myself whilst here in the country.

I don’t doubt that bad things are going on in Cairo. I don’t deny that things are happening. However, this is the same for London, New York, Tokyo, Sydney… What I do doubt is the media coverage inaccurately portraying events in a negative manner. The Egyptian people are as outraged as the rest of the world about the atrocities that are occurring around the world. One recent conversation with a local was very upsetting. He spoke about his distrust of the media and upset about how his ‘beautiful Egypt’ was being portrayed.

Since living in Egypt, I’ve travelled to fifteen countries and many more cities. If I had to choose the place where I felt most safe (outside of my tiny village in the Cotswolds, UK), I would choose Egypt. I have never been threatened or robbed or intimidated whilst here – things that have all happened elsewhere. I find the Egyptian people extremely helpful and friendly. It seems that whenever a pickle arises, there is always someone around who can act as a translator so that we are fully aware of what is going on.

I understand the need for the media to report about different events. Just recently, there have been a number of awful attacks around the world and thousands of innocent people have lost their lives due to being caught up in the violence and treachery. Yet, the media, despite their faults, have caused people to stand together in solidarity and unification when showing their support for the innocent. This seems to have sparked much controversy between people. I have read arguments about which situation or country deserves the media’s sympathies or has the most ‘fuss’ made. Ultimately, the media should use the power it has for the better, not to incite fear about a destination or group of people. The media creates sensationalism, panic and fear. Yet it also has the power to create hash-tags of support, peaceful protests and a united group of people who are willing to stand together for a single cause. Why is it that the negative reporting is what seems to prevail? Why should it be easier to report about how much of a war-zone somewhere is than how the negative acts of a few have such a terrible effect on a destination.

I spent ten days in November travelling around Egypt’s famous historical sites. Most of the places that we visited had very few tourists there. While this was great for our photo opportunities, it was disastrous for the many people who have been living off tourists for their entire lives. People who have devoted themselves to learning English, buying fleets of transport and knowing the history of a place inside out are suddenly stuck. There is no steady flow of income, no security of provision for their families – a once stable world, suddenly turned upside down due to the reports from different media outlets that Egypt is no longer a safe place to visit. I have had to stop myself reading the comments on different news sites about how people wouldn’t visit Egypt if it were the last place on the planet. I want to yell at them, to show them the pictures which I have taken, tell them stories about the wonderful people I’ve met but no one is listening. It is all too easy to take what is heard on the news or read in a newspaper as fact. I can wholeheartedly recommend a trip to Egypt to anyone who is interested. You won’t regret it!

All in all, I do believe that bad things can happen anywhere. There are bad people everywhere. Bad people who have no concern or regard for their fellow human beings. Whether in the name of religion, greed or self-promotion, throughout history there have been people making bad decisions and hurting others across the globe. In my opinion, the media should report all disasters and not focus on making one place or community look worse than another. And what about happy news? Why isn’t there more of that on the front pages!